2 Timothy 4:10-11
For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
The ministry is about people, but sadly, you will find in the ministry that sometimes it is those you help the most will be the ones who hurt you the most. We must never let the hurt from those we helped the most cause us to stop helping people. It would be easy to give up and say that you will never help another person, but that means the Devil won, and you became a quitter.
Paul described several people who either helped or hurt him in the ministry. What I enjoy about Paul is that, though he exposed those who hurt him, he talked fondly about those who helped him, and he never let the hurt of others stop him from helping people. As my pastor used to say, if someone hurt me in the ministry, then I have been used by God to be a help to someone. Let me share the names of those who helped or hurt Paul in his ministry and what they did to help or hurt him.
Demas was the first person Paul talked about. Demas forsook the ministry because of his love for the world. Many believers have stopped attending church because they had a greater love for the world than they did for God. Demas’ always leave at the most inopportune time; a time when God is about to do something great, and their departure hinders the ability for God to do what He has planned to do. The world has caused many believers to become a Demas.
Luke was committed and loyal to the Apostle Paul. Every pastor could use people who are committed to the work and loyal to their pastor. I could care less about the Pharisees who say we should not be loyal to a man, but I can assure you if you are not loyal to your pastor, you most certainly will not be loyal to God because your pastor is God’s representative to you. Commitment and loyalty are a choice for any believer.
Mark was productive, which greatly helped Paul in getting the Gospel out. Certainly, every pastor could use people who are committed and loyal, but what they need more are people who are productive for the cause of Christ. Being productive is to be a person who leads people to Christ and gets them into church. Every church needs productive members if that church is to reach its area for Christ.
Tychicus was dependable, which allowed Paul to entrust him with responsibilities. The need for dependable believers in the ministry is great because it allows the pastor to delegate responsibilities to people so that the work can go further. A dependable person is there all the time and will do what is expected of them to do without someone looking over their shoulder.
Alexander was evil toward Paul, and it hurt the ministry of Christ. Alexander talked badly about Paul because he wanted to hurt his ministry. Every ministry will have an Alexander who leaves and tries to hurt the ministry, but you must avoid these Alexanders because their evil will hurt your spirit.
Let me ask: if your pastor exposed those who hurt or helped him in the ministry like Paul did, which list would your name be on? My friend, you will never regret being on the help list, but you will regret being on the hurt list when God deals with the evil that you caused to His church.
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